Each year when we head to NY for Thanksgiving, we try to choose a fun place to dine and this year it was NYC's vegetarian haute cuisine spot, DIRT CANDY on the lower East Side where Amanda Cohen heads the kitchen team and Rachel Basset is the pastry chef.
We arrived to the sparkly outdoor sign (it looks like one of those silver spangly curtains in a doorway as some sleazy spot, and walked in to a simply decorated place with exposed white brick walls and white walls with stenciled green flowers and plants. There is a large counter for seating and a huge open kitchen behind and we could see a lot of the goings on(at least from my seat). We were given menus that listed drink options and two menu choices which were 5 courses for $65(+$50 for wine pairings) or 9 courses for $99(+$70 for wine pairings). The menu notes that 20% service charge is added and tipping is not encouraged on top of that. We decided on our drinks and waited and waited and waited. Finally we hailed down a server who apologized as it had been almost 15 minutes since we sat down!
I ordered the Betabel de Matamoros with mezcal, ancho reyes, house amaro and beet juice that was an earthly drink with lots of flavor and a hint of spice. Will chose the Dirty Trinity with vodka, pickled onion, green pepper and celery which tasted like a dirty martini made with pickle juice...a bit too puckery for me. Sam started with the Cucumber Sparkler of cilantro, serrano and soda, but preferred the beer. While we were having our drinks we chose the 9-course with wines(for Will & me) and the Amuse Bouche arrived in a small caviar container(marked IMITATION) which was adorable(see FB photos). It was a veggie seaweed caviar with creme fraiche, small chunks of cucumber and chives that was delicious and so refreshing. Alas, the first course also arrived shortly thereafter, even thought we told our helpful and considerate server, Yashar(which means "direct" or straight ahead" in Hebrew!) that we like to relax and dine slowly. The wine was poured while we still had our drinks, b ut from thence on, everything was timed perfectly.
Ben, the sommelier, poured the first wine, a Sottofondo orange wine made from organic fermented Trebbiano which was yummy and like a fizzy alcoholic cider; I have to say it changed my mind on orange wines. The first course was a "tower" like those you get in seafood restaurants but this was three tiers each with spring greens, edible flowers and parsnip tahini. The bottom level also had the celeriac kugel(which we all liked the best) with sliced green grapes. The middle was a glass jar with a butternut squash consomme that was so rich it reminded me of oxtail! The top had adorable mini tin watering cans with beet and beet pesto lollipops.
Monkey bread arrived and was a dark hue from the beets used and they were warm, so the butter melted so fast and the whole thing was a yummy treat. From here on in, each wine was poured just as the course arrived and were were happy campers.
2018 Margins Muscat Blanc from Poulsard in Contra Costa was our next wine and the slight sweetness was amazing with the intensely spicy Korean fried Broccoli with garlic paste, sesame and scallions. This was our favorite dish indeed. It came with Shanghai shoot leaves(mini bok choy) with creme fraiche and fermented black beans,
Next was a rose from Valerie & Jean-Christophe Tissuad and we were happy to get to the dry wines. The dish was a Fennel Tagine of smoked prunes, apricot, shaved fennel, haricots cacao, preserved lemon all in a light fennel broth with the amazing vegetarian "Merguez" that is a secret recipe....vegetarians you need to get it!
Fourth was Lady of Sunshine 2018 Chardonnay "Chene Vineyard" from Edna Valley that tasted nothing like your everyday chard! While the two head chefs are women, many of the staff are men!, yet the wine list centers on female producers as does the beer menu! It was paired with Grilled Radicchio with Sumac, pickled endive, chickpea crouton, Charmoula ranch falafel spice paired with a Truffle toast, portobello mousse(think pate), shaved portobello and grilled and dehydrated persimmon, sour cherry balsamic reduction glaze. The dish was overall rich and intense, but quite filing and yummy, and while Will is allergic to sumac, he got his own plate of the Portobello as a bonus.
We moved to red wine with Marin D'Eau Douce from Domaine des Buis in Aveyron made by Pauline Broqua served with a Carrott Confit Slider on a Chinese Style steamed carrot and sesame bun with yuba crisp and hoisin sauce.
Brassica is a mix of cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and more in a smoked cabbage broth here with fennel, kohlrabi and a yummy ricotta dumpling. Spinach spaetzle were in a shiso broth with dehydrated Alpine cheese and lilac spinach, while the dish was rounded out with a Turnip Cake(akin to Banh mi)with Chinese fice spice, pickled daikon, purple ninja radish and finger lime. It was all delish, but the latter quite heavy with the "bun."
Beet Yakatori with Lemon Vinaigrette was garnished with salt and pepper on the plate and I realized I got a large salt crystal, so avoided that as the dish was just fine without the seasoning. I don't have wine notes, so am assuming we continued with the red from before??
Dessert started with a Swiss Chard Sundae with candied pear, but the basil was so cold it lost its flavor. This was paired with Cauliflower confetti cake with roasted cauliflower ice cream(yes!!), chocolate mushroom of mushroom espresso pudding with thyme blondies, sunflower seed brittle, spinach mint crumble with hot chocolate sauce poured tableside. It was a lot of things to absorb, but we loved it all. The wine was a Franquette Oloroso El Maestro 15 year old dry sherry, which was nice, but we really prefer sweeter wines with dessert. Thinking about all the ingredients, though, the pairing was earthy and dry to complement the sweetness of the food.
The second dessert and last course was Sweet potato meringue with white chocolate sweet potato, pomegranate seeds and a Radicchio pate a fruit that was akin to Turkish delight. What fun we had and even though some of the dishes were heavy, rich or intense, none of us felt bloated and it was a truly fun and memorable experience.
Kudos to Yashar, Ben and the whole staff, who work here as team to insure that things move without a hitch(except for our arrival and drink order).
Vegetarians take note as this is a rare an more than enjoyable treat!
